The present invention relates to a cleaning tool, and more particularly, to an improved tool for cleaning a hard surface floor, such as a floor covered by linoleum, asphalt tile, and the like.
Hard surface floors are generally cleaned by applying a soap or detergent washing solution to the floor and then preferably removing the solution and the dirt from the floor. In the past, the application and removal of washing solution has been done by hand, using a hand brush, wet mop or the like. However, this hand application and removal of the washing solution tends to be a relatively time consuming, laborious task even when done by a person experienced inmaintenance work.
Moreover because of the extra time and effort involved, a washing solution is commonly not changed after each room or even after each particular area has been cleaned. Consequently, the cleaning solution tends to become contaminated with the dirt on the floors which have previously been cleaned. This contamination makes it difficult to maintain the cleaning "strength" of the washing solution and may present a serious problem in hospitals, health care facilities and the like.
It is the primary object of my present invention to provide an improved tool for cleaning hard surface floors. The novel tool of my present invention represents a significant improvement over the prior hand brush and wet mop techniques utilized to clean hard surface floors in that it permits the facile cleaning of hard surface floors with a minimum of time and labor. In this regard, tests have indicated that my improved tool can do the same job, from the standpoint of cleanliness, as a wet mop, while reducing the time required to do the job by ten to fifteen per cent. Moreover my improved tool does not reuse the washing solution, but rather continuously applies a fresh, controlled amount of solution to the floor to be cleaned. This eliminates contamination problems and since in addition, permits optimum strength washing solution to be continuously used without stripping wax from the floor.
More specifically, the improved tool of my present invention includes a housing and a scrubbing block which is pivotally connected to the lower end of a handle and which is adapted to have its bottom surface in contact with the floor to be cleaned. The handle is arranged so as to permit the tool to be easily manipulated by a person standing in an upright position. The scrubbing block has a scrubbing pad detachedly secured to its bottom surface and can be used to remove a spot of ground-in-dirt or the like from the floor by the person pressing down on the handle and rubbing the scrubbing back and forth on the dirty spot.
The housing is positioned about the scrubbing block and includes curved, transverse, front and rear channels which are formed in the housing adjacent to its front and rear ends, which are open to the floor and which are formed in the housing so that their ends are adjacent to each other. The front and rear channels are both communicated with a conduit connected with a vacuum source and carried in part by the handle. The vacuum is of sufficient strength so as to be able to suck up any accumulated liquid and small particles of dirt and the like which come within or beneath the channels.
A manifold is mounted on the housing and includes a plurality of nozzles that are utilized to spray washing solution onto the floor between the front and rear channels. The manifold is connected, via tubing carried in part by the handle, with a source of cleaning solution. A valve mounted on the handle permits the operator of the tool to control the rate of discharge of the cleaning solution through the nozzles.
A pair of support members is mounted in each of the channels so that their lower ends may pivot through an arc in the channel. The support members extend substantially from one end of their respective channel to the other, and have a plurality of feet which project below the lower surface of the housing and support the housing above the floor to be cleaned. Each of the pairs of support members carries a squeegee blade whose lower end is adapted to contact the floor. Links interconnect adjacent ends of the support members so that the support members and thus the squeegee blades pivotally move in concert or together within their respective channels. When the tool is pushed in a forward direction, generally transverse to the channels, the lower edge of the squeegee blade in the front channel is positioned slightly above the floor while the lower edge of the squeegee blade in the rear channel is held in contact with the floor surface. When the tool is moved in a rearward direction, generally transverse to the channels, the lower edge of the squeegee blade in the rear channel is positioned slightly above the floor while the lower edge of the squeegee blade in the forward channel is in contact with the floor. Thus liquid on the floor can pass beneath the squeegee blade in the leading channel of the tool but cannot pass beneath the squeegee blade in the trailing edge. This assures that the washing solution applied to the floor can be sucked up through the channels and into the vacuum conduit. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of my invention which is described in connection with the accompanying drawings: